


these hands

by nezstorm



Series: stealth mode ottering [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canonical Character Death, Creature Stiles, Family, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Uncle Ennis, Wereotter Ennis, Wereotter Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 19:38:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14268129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nezstorm/pseuds/nezstorm
Summary: Ennis can’t fight death, can’t bring Claudia back no matter who or what he’d punch. He has all this power, all this strength that makes so many cover and flee--He feels weak in the face of Stiles’ grief, ready to crumble every time Stiles clutches at him.





	these hands

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mysenia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysenia/gifts).



Ennis takes pride in how big and strong he is, in his muscle mass and sturdiness, in the tough lines of his body. He doesn’t much care that he intimidates people, other than by being smug about it.

 

Claudia only ever laughs at his  _ tough act _ , squeezes his forearm and tells him he’s soft in all the way it counts. Then sics Stiles on him before Ennis even has time to scoff because she knows Stiles has Ennis wrapped around his small, chubby fingers.

 

Ennis can’t argue with her anyway. He just lets Stiles climb him like his very own private jungle gym and then tosses him in the air like he weighs nothing at all, relishing in Stiles’ delighted laughter.

 

He's going to protect his nephew from the world. All of it, no matter what.

 

But no matter how much he lifts and runs and spars, there are things his big hands can’t shield any of them from. He can go out and fight any human or animal there is. Claudia's death on the other hand can’t be stopped with push ups. 

 

Stiles looks so small and fragile in the wake of his mother’s death, even more breakable than when he was a pup, a little bean compared to either of Ennis’ forms. 

 

Ennis can’t fight death, can’t bring Claudia back no matter who or what he’d punch. He has all this power, all this strength that makes so many cover and flee-- 

 

He feels weak in the face of Stiles’ grief, ready to crumble every time Stiles clutches at him.

 

But he has these huge hands and although he can’t carry the weight that Stiles now carries on his shoulders and in his heart,  _ he _ can carry Stiles through.

 

He can scoop Stiles up whenever necessary and hold him as close and as tightly as Stiles needs. Soon Stiles will get taller, tall enough that Ennis will joke about having to fold him in half to be able to carry him still.

 

For now though, he can wrap around him like the shield he was always supposed to be, promise "I gotcha buddy, I gotcha," softly, until Stiles believes.

  
  
  



End file.
